Rookie Anthony Miller says Bears ready for 'new era' of offense

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears open the regular season Sunday night in Green Bay with questions about how the offense will perform with a new playcaller, a new scheme and a second-year quarterback with only 12 NFL starts.

None of it matters to rookie wide receiver Anthony Miller, who predicted on Thursday that Chicago's offense is poised to embark on something special.

"I think there are a lot of people sleeping on us right now," Miller, a second-round pick, told reporters. "We're that new team. We've got a couple of new guys, but the history of this team hasn't been what we wanted it to be, so we're about to rewrite it. This is the beginning of something new, a new era in Chicago."

Changing Chicago's narrative on offense would be welcomed.

The Bears have historically struggled on the offensive side of the ball. Last season, Chicago ranked near or at the bottom of the league in passing yards (32nd), total yards (30th) and points scored (29th).

Sensing a lack of growth, Bears general manager Ryan Pace systematically overhauled the offense in the offseason by first installing 40-year old Matt Nagy as head coach/offensive playcaller.

Nagy, who called plays in five games for the Chiefs in 2017, brought with him to Chicago a version of the successful Andy Reid offense that has been used in, among other places, Philadelphiaand Kansas City.

Nagy's system, however, is a radical departure from what Bears second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky ran last season. The second overall pick of last year's draft, Trubisky passed for 2,193 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions (77.5 passer rating).

"I have a really good idea of what this offense looks like and where we're at and how we need to go about our business and execute our plays," Trubisky said.

Making big plays was Miller's specialty at the University of Memphis, where he recorded 238 receptions for 3,590 yards and 37 touchdowns. Miller, who is slated to play in the slot, is part of the Bears' revamped group of skill position players, which also includes Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Trey Burton.

The Bears also return a strong running game led by Jordan Howard and all-purpose back/wide receiver Tarik Cohen.

"I think about making big plays [against the Packers], and not just myself but my teammates," Miller said. "I know we're all going to eat in this offense and I just can't wait to see everybody's faces when we're doing the things we talked about."